Favorite Guitar Solos
July 26, 2005 8:42 PM   Subscribe

Inspired by this thread and this comment, my mefite compadres, I ask you: what are your favorite guitar solos?
posted by fingers_of_fire to Grab Bag (54 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: I'll get things started:

Jimi Hendrix, "Red House" - the original, studio version

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison trading solos with each other on "The End", the last song of the last Beatles record. (I choose this both 'cuz I think it's great guitar playing and for its emotional impact.)

Jeff Beck, anything from the album "Blow by Blow"

Jimmy Page, anything from the album "Led Zeppelin II"

Stevie Ray Vaughn, "Texas Flood"

And, to round things out a bit:

Jim Hall, anything from "The Bridge" by Sonny Rollins

John Scofield, anything from "Meant to Be"

Bill Frissell, anything from "Have a Little Faith"

Wayne Krantz, anything from "Long to be Loose"
posted by fingers_of_fire at 8:49 PM on July 26, 2005


"Skinny Legs and All" by Joe Tex. Really.
posted by dmo at 8:53 PM on July 26, 2005


And some of Adrian Belew's solos on the Talking Heads' Remain in Light.
posted by dmo at 8:55 PM on July 26, 2005


Anything by Buddy Guy.

Beck, Clapton, Stevie, Jimmy, I'm a fan of them all. But they'd tell you Buddy.
posted by justgary at 8:58 PM on July 26, 2005


steve hillage - aftaglid suite
jerry garcia - jack straw, 12/29/77, hard to handle, 8/6/70
robert fripp - starless
tom verlaine - marquee moon
neil young - cowgirl in the sand
jimi hendrix - machine gun
duane allman - hey jude (wilson pickett)
eddie hazel - maggot brain (funkadelic)
jimmy page - since i've been loving you
bb king - why i sing the blues
son seals - can't hold out
mick taylor - slide on "all down the line"
mickey and sylvia - love is strange
eric clapton - crossroads
billy gibbons - la grange
link wray - rawhide (70s version)
posted by pyramid termite at 9:09 PM on July 26, 2005


The wah-wah solo in Stir It Up (played by Wayne Perkins, apparently...)
posted by pompomtom at 9:16 PM on July 26, 2005


maybe some metal too? off the top of my head:

hallowed be thy name - iron maiden
crazy train - ozzy
phantom of the opera - iron maiden
speed metal symphony - cacophony
cemetary gates - pantera
orion - metallica
posted by ilovebicuspids at 10:06 PM on July 26, 2005


Am I Evil? - Diamondhead
Crushing Day - Joe Satriani
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
Ommadawn - Mike Oldfield
posted by nomis at 10:18 PM on July 26, 2005


In no particular order:

Jimmy Page - Achilles Last Stand, Stairway to Heaven from The Song Remains the Same.

Doug Martsch (Built to Spill) - Cortez the Killer.

Max Verna (Ominous Seapods) - Blackberry Brandy, Leaving the Monopole, both from Matinee Idols.

Chuck Garvey (moe.) - Plane Crash from L.

Prince - While My Guitar Gently Weeps from the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony and I don't even like the guy.

Josh Homme (Kyuss ) - 50 Million Year Trip.

If slide guitar counts then Robert Randolph - Ted's jam.
posted by euphorb at 10:43 PM on July 26, 2005 [1 favorite]


Frank Zappa - Wet T-Shirt Night
posted by wsg at 10:43 PM on July 26, 2005


Van Halen, solo for Hot For Teacher.
posted by jimfl at 10:49 PM on July 26, 2005


I have to admit to being a total sucker for John Squire's noodling on the Stone Roses' "I Am the Resurrection."
posted by scody at 10:58 PM on July 26, 2005


I find the more simple solos tend to do what more complex ones fail to really accomplish-- act as an emotional climax to the song. The "song within a song" thing the flashier players get locked up into works against itself. So, my favorites are john lee hooker's Whiskey n' Wimmin: he squeezes out one note and rings it over the chords, and it's perfect. Van Halen's solo in Running with the Devil accomplishes something similar, a simple moment which says something the song itself lacks, makes the whole thing stronger. Steve Jones does it with simple pull ups in Anarchy in the UK . They're all short, and they get right to business.
posted by dong_resin at 11:03 PM on July 26, 2005


Death - Trapped In A Corner
Not one, but two fucking incredible solos. Check it out.
posted by baphomet at 11:04 PM on July 26, 2005


The tremolo heavy solo from Lunas "California all the way" allways struck me as powerful and unique.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 11:09 PM on July 26, 2005


Pretty much all of Stevie Ray Vaughan's version of "Little Wing" (originally by Hendrix). It sends chills down my spine.

If you have a good MP3 of it (or the CD), listen closely - you can hear Stevie's amps buzzing in the background; start at around 0:40 in. It gets really noticeable around 1:22. I'd never noticed it until someone pointed it out...
posted by mrbill at 11:11 PM on July 26, 2005


The artist known as, Buckethead's guitar solo on animal behavior from "Praxis" is a beautiful work of art. Noise bonus, Bootsy Collins.
posted by hortense at 11:22 PM on July 26, 2005


My all-time favorite guitar solo is by Lita Ford on The Runaways' "Born To Be Bad" written by Joan Jett and Micki Steele (later with The Bangles). Lots of slippery finger slides but the part that still slays me is where she bends a note into feedback and then grabs the same note an octave down to finish out the phrase.

Another of my favorites is in Nazareth's "Love Hurts", pure emotion.

For all-out wankery, Steve Howe on Yes's "The Gates of Delirium".

Also, Ritchie Blackmore on Deep Purple's "Mistreated"
Mick Mashbir's lead-in solo on Alice Cooper's "No More Mister Nice Guy"
Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog"

Many more, but those are off the top of my head.
posted by mischief at 11:53 PM on July 26, 2005


Phelps "Catfish" Collins' solo in the live version of James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now" that appears on the Star Time boxed set and on Love, Power, Peace. I once saw a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion show where Judah Bauer was playing some other song and simply played Catfish's solo in the middle of it...

For another kind of minimalism: Johnny Ramone's one-note-65-times-in-a-row solo on the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated."

And I will second the love for "Marquee Moon."
posted by 88robots at 12:15 AM on July 27, 2005


"Skinny Legs and All" by Joe Tex. Really.

That's Reggie Young. He also played great guitar on King Curtis's "Memphis Soul Stew," Dobie Gray's "Drift Away," J.J.Cale's "Cocaine," Merle Haggard's "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink," and more.

Here's some more:
Larry Carlton - Kid Charlemange (Steely Dan)
Mark Knopfler - Sultans of Swing
Paul McCartney - Taxman
David Lindley - Mercury Blues
Albert King - Crosscut Saw
Jeff Beck - The Nazz Are Blue (Yardbirds)
Chuck Berry - Carol
posted by timeistight at 12:39 AM on July 27, 2005


All the notes on Abraxas by Carlos Santana.
posted by peacay at 1:08 AM on July 27, 2005


The solo(s) on 'Kracked' from Dinosaur Jr's You're Living All Over Me.
posted by jonathanbell at 1:13 AM on July 27, 2005


I'm a big fan of Glenn Tilbrook's guitar style. The solo from "Another Nail In My Heart" is one of his best.
posted by gfrobe at 1:14 AM on July 27, 2005


These threads often really suck, but there's lots of good stuff in this one. This is why I love Metafilter.

Here's a few that I love to hear despite having heard each a thousands of times over:

Both breaks from "D.O.A.", "Top Jimmy", "Women in Love", and "Hang 'em High" - Eddie Van Halen
"Black Dog" - Jimmy Page
"Texas Flood" - SRV
"Out a Day" - Danny Gatton from CD "New York Stories"
"Lonely Women" - Pat Metheny
"Grounded" - Stephen Malkmus
Intro solo on "Close to the Edge" - Steve Howe
posted by DuoJet at 2:17 AM on July 27, 2005


"Shoot out the lights" - Richard Thompson
posted by oh pollo! at 2:35 AM on July 27, 2005


Can only think of a few Metallica songs at the moment: One, Orion, Call of Ktulu - I'm sure that they (and most of the other bands in my collection) have many other great guitar solos...
posted by Chunder at 3:04 AM on July 27, 2005


"Run Run Run" by the Velvets. Seriously.

I'll also third Marquee Moon and second just about anything by J Mascis.
posted by anagrama at 3:11 AM on July 27, 2005


"The Roots of Coincidence" - Pat Metheny
posted by SteveInMaine at 3:30 AM on July 27, 2005


Anything by Rory Gallagher.
posted by aidanf at 3:35 AM on July 27, 2005


David Gilmour - Comfortably Numb
Mick Taylor - Sympathy for the Devil (live from Get Yer Ya Ya's Out)
I second the Prince solo during WMGGW. Incredible!
posted by punkfloyd at 4:42 AM on July 27, 2005


Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover
posted by IndigoJones at 5:02 AM on July 27, 2005


Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) - Paranoid Android
posted by nthdegx at 5:19 AM on July 27, 2005


Steve Howe's solo at the very end of Yes's Starship Trooper is fucking transcendent.
posted by saladin at 5:54 AM on July 27, 2005


I particularly like the solo from Hotel California, but that's just me.
posted by greatgefilte at 6:21 AM on July 27, 2005


Robert Quine (or Richard Lloyd?) on Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend".

Mick Jones on the Clash's "Stay Free"

Put me on the Marquee Moon list, too. I think I prefer the alternate take on the recent reissue, but that coulda just been the novelty talking, and I don't have them with me to compare.
posted by jessenoonan at 6:25 AM on July 27, 2005


Second from somewhere above on Jimi Hendrix; Machine Gun from Band of Gypsys. You must hear this solo because it transcends "solos".

Random thoughts: Frank Zappa " Watermelon in East Hay" from Joe's Garage.

Will get crap for this but Eddie Van Halen in "Beat It".

For Metallica try Fade To Black.

Peter Frampton "Do You Feel Like We Do?" Not strictly a guitar solo but included.

Anything from Chuck Berry in the 50's!
posted by jeremias at 6:51 AM on July 27, 2005


Gary Louris (Jayhawks) on "Trouble." Louris can throw the fuck down when he needs to, but this solo is really restrained, delicate, and beautiful.

Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo) on "Chickamauga." Holy shit, man, your guitar is on fire.

Bob Mould (Sugar) on the live version of "Explode and Make Up." Evocative and ass-kicking.

Of course, all three of these gents have piles and piles of other good material.
posted by COBRA! at 7:09 AM on July 27, 2005


I'm not a big fan of classic rock guitar solos, aside from the obvious Hendrix and Zeppelin, so, here goes...

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks
Stephen Malkmus - 1% of One
Mogwai - Hunted By A Freak
Asian Dub Foundation - Riddim I Like
(guitars not the prominent thing there but there's two separate bits I absolutely love, in middle and end, possibly sitar, or sounding like it anyway)
posted by funambulist at 7:13 AM on July 27, 2005


George Harrison: While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Luther Allison: Cherry Red Wine, Live at the Chicago Blues Festival
posted by swlabr at 7:23 AM on July 27, 2005


swlabr - trivia note - that was eric clapton playing the solo on while my guitar gently weeps
posted by pyramid termite at 7:30 AM on July 27, 2005


Push Comes to Shove by Eddie Van Halen... dunno why. Just do. Perhaps it's the three harmonics tapped out at the beginning.

Shock Me by Ace Frehley (Kiss)... I know, I know (I think it's because I've heard it at least 1,000 times since it was released and can air-guitar it not for note {embarrassing}).
posted by Necker at 7:43 AM on July 27, 2005


Since I've Been Loving You from Led Zeppelin's How the West Was Won is my favorite guitar solo ever.
posted by sciurus at 8:05 AM on July 27, 2005


Velvet Underground "I heard her call my name". Best guitar flipout ever.
posted by Pericles at 9:14 AM on July 27, 2005


Jeff Beck, "Let Me Love You" from Truth
posted by rfs at 9:35 AM on July 27, 2005


Dinosaur Jr. - "Thumb" the live version from "Whatever's Cool With Me" - Jawdropping.

U2 - "The Fly" a really amazing solo that takes the whole song in a different direction.
posted by Heminator at 9:49 AM on July 27, 2005


Jeff "Skunk" Baxter-My Old School (w/ Steely Dan)

Steve Morse-too many to mention, especially with the Dixie Dregs

I will leave it to the reader to come upwith some great solos from Lowell George and/or Paul Barrere
posted by TedW at 10:06 AM on July 27, 2005


Lifeson in the 'Presentation' section of 2112.
Uli Roth on In Trance and Catch Your Train.
Billy Corgan on Quiet.
Martin Barre on Aqualung.
Nuno Bettencourt on Play With Me. Jesus wept.
Each and every one of Randy Rhoads' solos on Blizzard of Ozz.
Hansen/Weikath on Helloween's I Want Out.
Friedman/Mustaine on Hangar 18.
Murray/Smith on Two Minutes to Midnight, etc.

(Re the above, seconds on Gilmour's Comfortably Numb, Schuldiner's Trapped In A Corner, and van Halen's Beat It.)
posted by Wolfdog at 11:12 AM on July 27, 2005


Ian Bairnson - just about anything, but especially, "Turn It Up."
posted by OneOliveShort at 11:47 AM on July 27, 2005


I'll third Machine Gun by Band of Gypsys. Anything by them, really -- Power of love on the same album is top drawer, too.

I've documented my love of Mr. Garcia et al on the blue before so I'll second pyramid tyrmite's selections -- except for 1970.08.06; do you mean 1971.08.06? -- and add that the monumental Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the mountain from 1990.03.22 is maybe the best example of Garcia's prodigious genius at playing off the other band members.

In my books, Robbie Robertson is one of the greatest guitarists in rock history. I could nominate a dozen of his solos but I'll stick with suggesting the solo from "King Harvest (has surely come)": How it starts out so simple, evoking the "the rice as the wind blows 'cross the water," slowly building into a much louder, angrier effort. All in about 30 seconds with no (or little) apparent distortion/modulation.
posted by docgonzo at 11:55 AM on July 27, 2005


"Hands 2 Take" by the Flying Lizards
"Watermelon in Easter Hay" by FZ (again!)
pretty much anything by Snakefinger
The "Hey Jude"/"Sympathy For the Devil" medley-solo-thingy at the end of The Third Reich and Roll by the Residents.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 3:09 PM on July 27, 2005


Dream Theater - Goodnight Kiss. For me this is the pinnacle of heartbreaking guitar work. John Petrucci normally plays complex, highly technical solos, but this one is far from that. It's got beautiful melodies and mood changes, and the muted screams and cries in the background get to me something awful.

Liquid Tension Experiment - Paradigm Shift. Another Petrucci favorite. More technical than Goodnight Kiss but really impressive because it was almost certainly improvised. There's one note/bend that kills me. I often rewind the song over and over just to listen to that one note. It's gold.

Metallica - 2x4. I don't know why I like this solo so much. It's heavy but is just simple pentatonic playing. I like Kirk Hammett's playing a lot on Load and Reload, actually, with the extreme distortion and feedback. Devil's Dance is another favorite in the same vein.

Roger Waters - What God Wants, Part 3. Jeff Beck is behind this one, and man I really need to go pick up some of his music 'cause this solo is so cool and weird. His note choices and phrasing are out of this world.
posted by Khalad at 4:08 PM on July 27, 2005


Prince–Outro on “Purple Rain”

He should’ve been the next Hendrix, but got lost somewhere on the road to Seattle.
posted by signal at 5:15 PM on July 27, 2005


"Lick My Pussy, Eddie Van Halen" Sylvia Juncosa
"Rats of Reality" Greg Hetson
"The Fuck Song" Bobby Cuff

Los Angeles punk rock guitar for the ages.
posted by Methylviolet at 5:43 PM on July 27, 2005


Berton Averre–“My Sharona” / The Knack
posted by signal at 7:14 PM on July 27, 2005


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